Lessons from US primaries
Photo: AFP
Currently, we are watching the dramatic primary elections of the US. Two features of this election, I think, are very relevant for our country. One is the opportunity of the electorate to select the best candidate from their favourite party and the other is the issue-based campaign by the candidates. Long before the real election is held in November, the candidates willing to get nomination of the two major parties are trying to reach out the electorate. The party nomination is not certain for any influential leader. However, in our country we see a different picture. Here it is possible that we have a preferred party, still we may not like the party leader. But we don't get the chance to express our distrust on that leader. As a result, that leader finds a scope to hold the position almost permanently. All the presidential hopefuls in the US have their individual agenda. The campaign is focused on different socio-economic issues like foreign policy, tax policy, employment generation policy etc. on which the candidates express their differences clearly to people. However, in our country it is very hard to find any policy difference between the major two parties. Our parties focus on intensity of tribute to national leaders, nationalism, religion, loyalty to India or Pakistan etc. Reform is a much talked about subject of our national politics nowadays. Can we take some lessons from the primary elections of the United States?
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